Faith Wins.

Standing on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, I faced the oncoming storm. The skies turned red with rage, then black with vengeance - mirroring the feeling in my soul.  

I was exhausted. Honestly, 2011 has been a hard year, but not for the usual reasons.  While the economy faltered, my wallet grew fat. While the country suffered, I was secure.  

Yet, silencing the artist inside for a corporate paycheck comes at a cost. The future seems bleak...already lost to an invisible foe who's only goal is to destroy dreams.

"Why did you give up music?"  I  recently asked a new friend who'd quit chasing a career in the industry.  Her answer's repeated a million times in Hollywood:  doors closed. no opportunities. no money. 

"You walked away from music but it didn't walk away from you," I told her.  

Have you ever looked at someone and felt you could read their heart in their face?  I could see she had paid a price for the music inside that someone else needs to hear. 

"There's still a song inside of you waiting to be sung," I said, "music still waiting to be written..." 

"I don't think it will look the same but I will try again," she promised before leaving.

Dreams seldom look the same after they've been broken.

Facing the storm, I challenged the song stealer. 

You might kill my dreams but not my faith.  

Like my friend, my dream is broken but I'm confident that He who began a good work is faithful to complete it to the end. Just as the sun always shines after a storm, faith always wins.

www.facebook.com/shayholland